Strange Imprints: The Rose in May
by XlaraC
Summary: A seemingly normal visit to the meadow turns into a big surprise for Edward when he finds himself imprinting on a beautiful rose. But how can his soul mate be a flower?
1. January Snow

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**_

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter One: January Snow**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

The meadow flowers always bloomed early in May, spreading their fragrant scents throughout the air. The bees enjoyed it, using the clouds of yellow pollen to make their sweet honey, their food. I enjoyed it just for the beauty of it.

It was now summertime, and the couples were 'celebrating' their freedom once again, leaving me to either blast my music or run to the meadow. The latter always worked better for me, as even through the vibrating sound waves I could hear the grunts and groans, and not to mention their thoughts. It was sickening sometimes, being in a house full of imprinted couples.

This weekend was the marking of our first year back in Forks, as well; the first time Alice and Jasper had joined us. They – even Alice – had been a little overwhelmed with the close proximity of the wolves for a while, but they grew used to the tell-tale stench eventually. All of us enjoyed the tiny town by the ocean; for once, we all felt like we had a home, and not just a place of residence.

I contemplated going for a quick hunt as I stepped into my sanctuary, but disregarded the idea when I decided that the 'better' prey was too far away, and I was looking forward to some relaxing time. The meadow always seemed to move with activity, the wind rustling through the flowers. I sat down beside an old tree, where – curiously – a patch of red roses had begun to grow. I hadn't seen them in previous years, and I wondered if somebody had planted them. I decided to lean in to get a closer look.

As I was examining the roses, my eyes landed on one beautifully bloomed rose. Instantly, my entire world changed. I was reminded of Carlisle's chaotic thoughts of Esme those first few years after the imprint, until it calmed down. And of Rosalie's thoughts of Emmett… and of Jasper's thoughts of Alice. It was so mind blowing; I could feel this overwhelming sensation of need and love coursing through my body. That flower – that beautiful, beautiful red rose – was now the reason for my entire existence.

It was perfect – from its delicately formed petals to its almost silky-looking thorns. Carefully, I reached out to stroke the morning dew from its leaves, and a thrumming sensation overtook my body. I felt connected to this flower, like my family felt to their other halves. Could this really me my _imprint?_ This little flower from my meadow, my _mate?_

How long could I expect a flower to live, anyways? Roses, when picked, lasted a week at most. And, yet as I thought this, I found myself pulling the delicate rose from its firm hold in the ground, thinking of the red-coloured crystal vase at home, and knowing that that was where I would place my beauty, my mate. For I was certain now, as I held it, that I would forever love this plant, even if it was a little different.

I ran home quickly, not even caring that the couples might not have been finished (but they were, thankfully), needing to place my beauty in its water-giving vase immediately. I thought of the windows in my room, and was suddenly even more glad that the sun shone directly in them during the day; it would allow my rose to stay in the sun, while safely nestled away in my room. I wasn't going to allow _anything_ to harm it.

_Her_, my mind whispered, and I knew it to be true. Somehow – though I don't know how – I interpreted this rose to be feminine, though plants held no genders. As I ran, I nearly thought that it – she – was curling into my hand, as if to hide from the wind. I knew that was just from my rapid – and often random - thought process, though; flowers certainly couldn't move, as they weren't alive. But, oh! How I wished my rose could be alive.

She was still in perfect condition as I stepped inside, and – too my shock, as I hadn't been listening for their thoughts – Esme notice me right away.

_Oh, my, _her thoughts said. _Edward's brought me another flower – I've missed getting them on Mother's Day_. She watched me with loving eyes, and thought I knew she was just assuming things (why else would I have a rose in my hands, if it weren't for her?), I still hissed at her thoughts.

"She's mine," I nearly growled. The others came down quickly, watching me in shock as I carefully sheltered my imprint from their wondering eyes. "You can't have her," I continued, though I knew it wasn't actually necessary.

Esme lifted her hands, as if telling a wild animal that she meant no harm. "Okay, Edward; I won't take… _her_ from you," she said carefully, and a quick thought went through her mind, wondering if I had lost my sanity while out. She quickly banished the idea, though, returning to her normal nurturing and mothering ways.

Carlisle stepped forward, and I automatically hissed, pulling _her_ closer to my body. His hands lifted, as well, and his thoughts went by so quickly that I almost couldn't catch them. "Edward," he began quietly, finished the question in his thoughts. _Are you alright, son?_

I rose from the crouch I hadn't even known I'd began, and looked down at my rose to make sure she was alright. I hoped she was fine without water for a few more moments… "I'm perfectly alright, Carlisle; aren't I only acting exactly how you would act if you felt your imprint was threatened?" I questioned, letting him know about the situation.

They were all silent and in shock for a while, watching me carefully.

_He can't mean_… Jasper thought, though he quickly scanned my emotions directly after that, and – much to his astonishment – he decreed that I felt exactly the same way as all of the others felt when their imprint was close. "Your imprint," Jasper breathed as his eyes widened.

The others realized what he meant right away, and looked at the red rose in my hand. I followed their gaze, and new my face had taken on an adoring quality, as the others were reflecting on it through their thoughts.

"Esme, do you mind if I used the red vase?" I asked, already walking to the kitchen, knowing she would agree.

As I expected, her reply came, though it was slower and riddled with wonder. "Of course, go right ahead."

I smiled, quickly filling the vase in question with water, finding some packages of plant food, as well, and adding that. I placed my beauty in her new home, and took in her lovely fragrance deeply. "Welcome home, love," I whispered to the unhearing plant, before gathering the vase in my hand and returning to my awe-struck family.

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><p><em><strong>Well? Good or bad?<strong>_

_**This story is going to be updated – hopefully – every Thursday. For a better look at my schedule, go to my profile.**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_


	2. February Hearts

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Two: February Hearts**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"Isn't she beautiful?" I said dazedly as I stroked the delicate petals of my rose. Esme was sitting beside me, with one of her hands resting lightly on my shoulder. Her thoughts were going back and forth from thinking that she was somehow dreaming or that I'd gone insane from the many years without a mate.

"She's… really something, Edward," she told me carefully, quite obviously trying not to insult me or my mate, even if her mind was also basically screaming that she thought I was delusional.

"She's so perfect," I said again, bringing her up to my nose and taking a big lungful of air into my, well, lungs, before laying a gentle kiss on the base at the top of her stem.

Rosalie was the first to break the question. "Carlisle?" She began, before blurting out "how exactly is… _this_," she waved her hand in my direction, "possible?"

For once, Carlisle didn't seem to have an answer, and he said so, too. "I don't really know…" However, he as always looking on the bright side. "But, everything happens for a reason!" He said, clapping his hands once loudly and smiling brightly at me. "If, uh, _she's_ what you want, Edward, then I'm happy for you, son."

I smiled brightly at him. "She's everything I want and more, Carlisle!" I exclaimed happily, looking up at him with what I'm sure were bright eyes. He smiled indulgently at me, and I knew he didn't quite understand, but I also knew that he'd put up with what he deemed as my 'insanity'.

"Well," Alice said carefully, her usually bouncy nature somewhat repressed as she looked into the future, which was now blurry because of some decisions that had yet to be made. "What's _her_ name, Edward?"

"Name?" I asked, looking up at my sister curiously, who just rolled her eyes.

"If she's your imprint, we have to give her a name," she said as if it was common knowledge. "We can't just refer to her as 'Rose', because – well, that's _Rosalie's_ nickname."

I guess it did make sense, and I really should have thought of it. I looked down at my beauty for a moment, before realizing; I'd been calling her _Beauty_ in my thoughts… "Bella," I said firmly, pressing a gentle kiss to her stem just after. "Her name is Bella."

And it definitely felt right; it almost seemed like there was a thrumming feeling coming from the delicate flower that I held carefully in its vase, as if it was _happy_ with my choice of name. I knew that couldn't possibly be true, though; after all, flowers weren't alive in the same sense that my family and I once were, as mammals are. In any case, though, she was my imprint, and I would love her with everything I had in me, even if nobody else understood.

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><p>"I think we should decorate her vase a bit, don't you think?" Alice asked a couple of days later, after she'd come in my room with a package of plant food she'd found in Esme's gardening shed. I hadn't even thought to look for anything like that, and I'd been <em>very<em> thankful towards my psychic sister. She was being the most helpful out of my entire family with this entire situation.

"How do you mean?" I asked curiously, wondering how much you could possibly make a _vase_ look nicer than it already was.

"Well, stickers, ribbons – that kind of thing. Just make it a little more deserving for a flower as beautiful as her, I suppose; I think Bella will like it," she told me, and it did make sense in away, however…

"I just have to say that you should make it blue; blue would look nice," I said, nodding firmly to back up my words. Blue _would_ look nice, and it would make the red of her petals and the green of her stem stand out even more.

My imprint was a curious little plant; Esme had told me hesitantly that picked roses usually began wilting in a day or two, but – if anything – my Bella looked healthier than she'd been before I picked her. There was absolutely no sign of wilting; my rose was nowhere near leaving me, and Alice had said that she could still see me holding the same rose in _a decade_. A rose lasting a decade was completely unheard of, and my family and I couldn't figure it out. I, of course, was extremely glad for whatever was causing this abnormality; it meant I would get to keep my beauty with me for far longer than I'd ever thought possible.

Taking care of her was fairly easy; I doted on her, of course, though. Misting her petals and carefully trimming her growing roots, keeping her water at _just the right_ level, giving her nutrients and sunlight probably more often then was necessarily needed, but it was the only way I could spoil my imprint, and so I did it as much as possible. Esme had given me some pointers for taking care of plants, and everything else I knew about such things had been soaked into my mind via the internet, which was a wonderful thing.

I had placed Bella on a shelf that was in a position to be hit by the morning sun, but not the significantly-hotter afternoon sun, which may dry her out too much. In the afternoon I usually sat outside with her for half-hour cycles.

My family thought I was crazy for doing all of this, but they'd be doing the same if their imprint was a flower.

By the next day, Alice had Bella's vase tastefully decorated in a beautiful shade of deep, midnight blue, and I was right; it offset her colours just right, and looked very sharp against her red vase, as well. I had, once again, thanked my psychic sister profusely, really liking what she'd done with it.

"Edward," she's said sternly, looking exasperated with me after I'd thanked her for the fiftieth time. "You know I like doing this kind of stuff; I'm just glad I had a new project to work on, even if it wasn't a very big project," she shrugged, giving me a hug before she turned to leave.

Before closing my door behind her, she eyed me carefully, and leaned against the door frame. "This rose… she really _is_ your imprint, isn't she, Edward?" She asked carefully, not wanting to insult me.

I nodded at her, and smiled. "At first, I couldn't name the feeling that was pulsing through me, but then I remembered the thoughts that you six have about your mates, and I realized that it was the same. It was frightening, but at the same time it was like I hadn't been whole until I saw her for the first time."

My sister smiled. "That definitely sounds like an imprint to me. I'm happy for you, Edward," she said, and she closed the door gently and ran off to find her mate, thinking of watching a movie with him. I smiled at the shut door, before going to sit on my couch beside the shelf that held my world, content with just watching _her_, and not a movie.

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><p><em><strong>Not a very informative chapter, was it? Oh, well; I just needed another chapter that explained a little bit of the home-life after Edward imprinted. It's definitely a unique situation, isn't it?<strong>_

_**Next chapter you're in for a surprise, let me tell you.**_

_**Also, I have recently posted a new story which is **_**kind of**_** a spin-off for another story of mine, **_**Edward's Inferno**_**. It's called **_**Edward's Purgatorio**_**, and you absolutely **__**do not**__** need to read **_**Edward's Inferno**_** before reading it. It's just an alternate universe of that story, and everything you need to know will be explained in **_**Purgatorio**_**. However, if you want to read both of them, go ahead – I won't complain. ;)**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_


	3. March Surprises

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Three: March Surprises**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer **_

"You have to hunt, Edward," my mother said firmly, taking the vase gently from my hands. "I'll make sure that Bella is taken care of while you are gone, don't worry; no harm will come to her, but harm _will_ come to you if you don't return with gold eyes." Esme could be pretty scary when she wanted to.

I sighed, watching my rose carefully, before handing my mother a piece of paper. "This is the schedule I have her on right now; please stick to it," I begged. "Plants can be sens-"

"Sensitive to change, I know; she'll be _fine_, Edward," she said, before all but pushing me out the door. "You better not come back for ten hours, or I'll just tell you to turn right back around."

I laughed briefly, sending one more longing look towards my imprint, and turning around to bolt into the forest, remembering that common human saying – the sooner I leave, the sooner I can return to her.

The ten hours seemed to drag by, and for most of it I just walked around, trying to put off hunting until the last moment. I tried visiting my meadow, but it seemed too empty considering that the last time I'd been there I'd seen Bella, and it had completely altered my life. The only way I would enjoy myself anywhere, now, was if I had my imprint by my side.

As the last few minutes of my given time trickled by, I bolted away towards my house, eager to look upon the beauty of my rose once more. As I grew closer, though, I could hear shocked and worried voices coming from the house, and I sped up, hoping that my mate hadn't been harmed in anyway, knowing that I'd need to go after a member of my family if something _had_ happened to her.

But nothing could have prepared me for the sight I was met with when I entered the house.

A girl who appeared to be about my age was sitting on the couch, and my family was surrounding her. She was very delicate looking, and looked almost like a little porcelain doll with soft-looking mahogany curls cascading down over her shoulders, and rosy cheeks that lit up as she laughed at something my sister had said. Her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown with swirls of honey thrown in, and were really too big for her face, but only succeeded in making her look adorable, and she looked like a grown-up child in a bright red dress with forest green shoes thrown on her feet.

As my family glanced towards me at my entrance, she did as well, and a huge, bright smile overtook her face as she spotted me. "Edward, Edward, Edward!" She chanted as she practically skipped over towards me, and this tiny being wrapped her delicate-but-strong arms around my chest, and all but leaped into my arms.

As she settled there, I realized that the pulling in my chest that usually led to the vase that held my beautiful flower was now leading towards this beautiful girl, and that the colours of her clothes were precisely the same colours I had peered at every day when I looked at my world.

"Bella?" I asked carefully, even as I buried my nose into her curls, already recognizing the scent of her skin – it was the same as my rose, and I knew they were one in the same.

"Uhuh," she nodded emphatically, and I held back a laugh as she nearly smacked it against my chest in her enthusiasm. "I like the name, by the way; I haven't had a name in _so long_, it's great to have one again."

That brought up another question I had. "How…?"

The beautiful girl giggled, her laughter causing her body to shake slightly in my arms, and I was filled with a warmth that I'd never felt before. "You're family has been asking the same thing for a couple of hours now – well, ever since I switched forms, anyway; I never was good at keeping time, even when I was a seedling. It always ruffled my master's petals, that's for sure; he was always shaking his leaves at me, disappointed when I bloomed at the wrong time," she rambled on, and though I would have been content to listen to her talk forever, I felt the curiosity of my family and I grow as she continued to speak in ways that we didn't understand, not knowing what any of it really meant.

"Bella?" I cut her off in the middle of a spiel about tangling roots, and she got the point right away, blushing a deep red. I couldn't resist and leaned down quickly to plant a kiss on one of her cheeks, basking in the scent that was coming off of her. She giggled again, but this time managed to keep quiet.

I walked over to the couch, unwilling to put her down, and sat down, pulling her into my lap as I did so. Her warmth seeped through our clothing quickly, and warmed me to the core, and I hummed happily and pulled her closer, enjoying the feeling. She just hummed, as well, smiling up at me with her wide eyes.

"It's very nice to know you, Edward," she said in an odd, innocent-sounding voice, and I didn't have time to question it before she was turning to face my family more. "I suppose you are all wondering how I was able to transform in such a way?" Did she really even _have_ to ask? "Well, there is really no way for me to explain this carefully, so is it alright if I just basically blurt it out? I'm pretty good with things like that," she said brightly, curling up into herself and leaning against me; she was so small, just barely bigger than Alice.

"Go ahead, dear," Esme said, and I noticed that her thoughts had gone away from thinking I was insane; she seemed very much happy with my imprint, now that she was in a more… _normal_ form, and not a flower.

My imprint sighed, and looked up at me for a brief moment, before turning away again and looking at each member of my family carefully. "Well, I'm not a regular flower, as you can see; I'm what's known as a Faerose, which means that I'm a fairy whose birth and regeneration form is a rose."

We looked at her, wondering and shocked – the same emotions I'd gotten when I first returned from my hunt; _a fairy?_

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><p><em><strong>Wow, bad ending, I know; I just really needed to find a way to end the chapter completely, instead of just, well, <strong>_**ending it. **_**How does my idea for what Bella is sound? I promise more information on her species in the next chapter; I'm not just leaving it there. I don't know how long this story is going to be, but at the moment I'm going through my options for putting some drama in here. It will probably be no longer than **_**Strange Imprints: Play the Fox**_**, probably around the same length as **_**A Lion Sleeps**_**, honestly. No, twelve chapters, exactly – one for every month of the year, if you've noticed the pattern in chapter names.**_

_**I'm also currently thinking of making a **_**Before the Imprint**_** version of this story; I think it would be interesting to learn more about Bella's life and her previous names that were vaguely mentioned in this chapter, wouldn't you? Leave your thoughts on this in the review.**_

_**So, yea, review, please, and remember me.**_

_**PS – This chapter was supposed to be posted tomorrow, but since I'm so nice I put it up a day early.**_


	4. April Stories

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Four: April Stories**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"A… fairy?" Carlisle asked, his curiosity and ever-present thirst for knowledge quickly growing stronger, and he leaned forward in a motion to get my little mate to continue.

"Yes, that's the technical term for my kind," she said softly, surprised by his curiosity, but she continued. "There's many different species mixed together, such as mine – the Faerose – and, let's say, the Faelupe, who are fairies whose basic form is a tulip," she explained carefully, obviously struggling to put it into simple terms.

"But, earlier you said that your 'birth and regeneration form' was a rose, would that also be your basic form?" Jasper asked, and Bella smiled at him, biting her lip slightly.

"Well, yes; our flowers are _always_ our basic forms. Obviously, the 'birth' part means it was the form I was 'born' in. My master – who I suppose you would call my parent, as he was the one who created my seed – planted me in the ground and I sprouted up. It wasn't until my thorns had grown in that I learned how to switch forms. And, as for the 'regeneration' part, it means that if I get injured enough to die, I slowly shrink back into a seed that needs to be planted again." She shrugged, as if what she was telling us was no big deal, which it probably wasn't to her, but to people who have never heard of such a thing, it was.

"That's so cool," Emmett breathed, looking at her with an awed expression on his face. "I mean, it'd be cooler if your 'basic form' was something ferocious, like a grizzly, but the entire idea is awesome. I wish _I _could regenerate."

She laughed at my bear of a brother, and smiled slightly. "It actually kind of sucks; besides the fact that it prevents us from dying, there is also the chance that you are alone when the regeneration process begins, and then you are stuck as a seed until somebody wanders by and plants you. I once went a decade as a seed, and trust me; it wasn't very fun at all." She shook her head to reiterate her statement, before giggling again. "My master wasn't very happy with that predicament – he called my brother-seedlings 'imbeciles' for leaving me on my own."

"Your master… he's your father?" Esme asked, wanting to get it straight.

Bella shrugged. "In your words, yes; I suppose he'd also be my mother. You need to be quite powerful to be able to produce seeds, and he had just become a fourth generation fairy – which is basically like our royalty – and so he was given the gift of reproducing, and decided to plant my brothers and sisters and I. My sisters didn't make it, though; they were all planted near a bank, and a big storm came and washed all of their roots away before they could truly sprout. It was sad," she shook her head back and forth in a swaying motion, and I hugged her to me, turning her back into a giggling little woman-child.

"You have royalty?" Rosalie asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation. At Bella's nod, she continued. "What do they do?"

"Well, mostly they just make the rules – like no blooming in winter, even though we can, because it's not natural to do so unless planted inside. Um, no digging up seeds in spite, no damaging roots; basic rules, and then the most important – always work to better yourself and your species."

"What does that mean?" Alice asked.

"It means that you need to work on your status and go up a level in order to be able to reproduce seedlings – basically, if you are capable of breeding, you are expected to breed. Fairies that find their matches aren't expected to do so, though, so I don't need to worry about that." She smiled at me, kissing my cheek sweetly and leaving a tingling sensation behind. "You're my match, by the way; or, in your terms, mate."

"Good," I whispered back to her, trapping her in my stone embrace. "Because you're mine, too."

"Oh, I know," she giggled. "I may not have completely understood all of your conversations, but I got that 'imprint' meant 'mate'." She wrinkled her nose. "That's a very strange term for it, by the way," she informed us very matter-of-factly, causing us to laugh at her. "What?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "Mates makes sense, because of the term 'soul mates', and matches make sense because of the term 'perfect match', but how does _imprint_ make sense?"

I had to admit, she kind of had a point there. It really didn't make as much sense as some of the other words for it out there. I shrugged, though. "It's what it's been called for so long that I think our kind has probably forgotten what it was called before that."

"I suppose you're right," she said. "When something isn't used for a while it just falls out of place, because after it falls out of fashion it's basically useless. Kind of like when we were called elves…" she mused, before shaking her head. "But that's another story. All you need to know is that, basically, I'm a flower who has the added ability of turning into a humanoid form."

"And you can regenerate when you're about to die," Emmett pointed out, still sounding amazed at the concept.

"Yes," she laughed. "That, too. I hope I didn't make it all so confusing for you," she said, suddenly sounding worried. "You understood everything I said, right?"

"Yes, sweetie, I think we got it all," I told her, soothing her worry. She calmed right down, practically becoming limp in my arms, before straightening back up and turning towards me, excited.

"Can we go outside, Edward?" She asked, bouncing in my arms a bit. At my hesitant look – there was just _so_ many ways she could get hurt outdoors – she pouted. "_Please?" _She said, widening her eyes and making her lower lip tremble. How could you refuse a face like _that_? She was better at begging than Alice was, and Alice was so good at it that she might as well have _invented_ the concept.

"Okay," I sighed, and pulled her back before she could run away. "But stay in my sight," I said firmly, and she nodded vibrantly, so I let her go, following after her closely, worried already that she would fall and hurt herself.

As I ran outside, though, I noticed that the sun had come out, and seeing my rose basking in the sunlight, the rays making the red in her hair stand out even more and her rosy cheeks glow as she swirled around, only proved to make her more beautiful. I watched from the front porch as she danced around the yard, smiling brightly as I soaked in the wonder that was my imprint.

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><p><em><strong>Wow, I'm just milking these corny chapter endings, aren't I? Oh, well; it's sweet, too, and it seems that my readers (meaning you) like these kind of endings for my story chapters, so there you go. Chapter four is complete.<strong>_

_**Like Bella, I hope I explained her species well enough. If you have any questions, and I feel the answers won't give away too much, ask me them in a review and I'll reply as soon as I can with said answer.**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_


	5. May Running

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Five: May Running**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"Your garden is beautiful, Esme," Bella said as we returned to the inside world. She was absolutely glowing with joy at having been outside, and I made a mental note to bring her outside for sunshine more often than I had when she was plant; she just soaked it up, it seemed, and she was beautiful because of it. "I love the arrangement you have of reguroses," she continued.

Esme smiled slightly, tilting her head. "Thank you, Bella… but, reguroses?"

My mate shrugged adorably. "Regular roses – basically, non fae-types."

"Oh, I see; thank you, again, then," my mother figure smiled, before changing topics. "Is there anything you need food-wise, Bella? I can cook, if there is."

Bella lit up again, much like she had when I'd returned from hunting to see her like this earlier. "Well, plants don't eat meat, of course; basically anything with a lot of nutrients, like celery; I _love_ celery." She turned to me after saying so, smiling up at me and hugging me quickly. "But not as much as I love you, of course, Edward," in a flash, she was bouncing towards Esme, leaving me dazed and happy in her wake.

Jasper appeared beside me, patting me on my shoulder. "I think your mate is more of a firecracker than Alice is, Edward," he chuckled. "Good luck with that."

I laughed towards him. "Yes, but much like you, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

He nodded. "That's true; I think she'd a great match for your broodiness, in any case," he said, before darting off, knowing I was going to hit him for that comment.

"I don't brood! I wallow in despair!" I teased back, not even in the mood to get him back for that comment. I could tell he and my other siblings were shocked, but I could still hear slight laughter coming from them. Rather pleased with myself, I followed my imprint and my mother slowly into the kitchen, delighted at the sight I was met with.

My beauty and my mother were standing near the sink cleaning and cutting up some vegetables – well, Esme was doing so; my rose was merely chattering away happily in her ear in the breathless way that only she could get away with. "My master and my brothers and I used to go into peoples gardens and take the celery – of course, we always left a little something behind to make up for it, like planting a reguroses in the garden or something – and we thought it was such a treat. We'd all gather around in a circle and listen to our master tell stories of long ago, about things he'd done and about things others had done, and then in the end we'd join hands and go into a trance-like state, swapping dreams – we can do that, you know, share thoughts; but only between fairies, unfortunately. It'd be cool if I could share my thoughts with you, too, but I can't, which sucks." She continued on this way, and Esme smiled at her sweetly, which only influenced her to keep going.

"Bella," I said, laughing, going over to her and hugging her around her waist. She stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at me curiously, her eyes owlish with slight surprise at being interrupted. "Your food is ready," I said simply, pointing towards the washed up pieces of celery. Her eyes grew wide with excitement this time, and she hurriedly started eating some, thanking Esme between practically every bite. She was _so_ adorable, but I moved to grab her hands, preventing her from taking another bite. "Slow down, Bella; we don't want you to choke, do we?" I asked sternly, raising my eyebrows comically at her. To my delight, she laughed at me, but starting eating slower, all the same.

When she was finished, she jumped from the counter and into my arms, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck and clinging there. I didn't mind. "What do you want to do, now?" She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side and dropping it against my neck, humming a little tune underneath her breath.

I pretended to think for a moment, but I knew of one thing I certainly wanted to show her. "Why don't we listen to music?" I said innocently, walking around into the other room that held my piano, and sitting down on the bench without her noticing.

"What kind of music?" She mumbled into my skin, and I nearly shuddered, but instead I moved my hands away from her and began to play a simple but upbeat melody, and she turned around quickly to see, squealing quietly in delight when she noticed where the music was coming from. "I love pianos!"

I laughed, leaning forward to kiss her neck gently. "As do I, which is why I taught myself to play when I was younger," I told her, wanting her to know more about me just as I wanted to know more about her. Which got me thinking… "Tell me more about your master?" I asked, and she sighed happily.

"Well, his name is James; like me, he is a Faerose, except he's a fourth generation and I'm a second generation, which means that all I can do is the standard magicks and I can also keep in contact with the royals, if I'd like. The royals want nothing to do with first generations. He is, by far, the strongest person I know, and he's also very kind and loving to all of us. He taught me how to survive, and told me stories when I needed to rest as a mere plantlet – young plant – and he sang to me sometimes, too. I was the baby of the family, being the only girl to survive, and he always made sure I was cared for. He was the best father figure any of us could have asked for." Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she talked about him, and she sighed. "I miss him very much."

"Where is he?" I asked, wanting to comfort her but too curious to end the conversation and do so.

She sighed again, turning to the piano and nudging my hands off, picking at random notes. "He told my brothers and I that he had to go away for a while, and that he'd come find us all when he returned. None of us really know where he is. We're all pretty worried, and my brothers decided to go look for him, and told me to stay out of trouble," she said in a small voice, and I realized it was probably the first time she'd truly been alone since her 'birth'.

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Well, at least, you have us, right?" I asked, teasing her slightly.

She laughed quietly. "Yea, at least I have you," she agreed, snuggling into my arms and continuing to press keys, whilst I held on to her tightly, not willing to ever let her go.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In my opinion, this chapter was really sweet. However, I really want to know: what do you think about the idea of Bella's 'father' being James? Bet you didn't see that coming.<strong>_

_**More to come soon!**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_


	6. June Bugs

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Six: June Bugs**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

Sitting out beneath the starry night sky with my family and my intended was quickly becoming a favourite past time of mine. Bella's wide eyes seemed to be almost mesmerized by the stars, shining with a happiness that outdid every one of them, including the sun. She was like a child in so many ways, but had probably seen things I could only imagine.

"There's so many," she said with wonder, lying back in the grass to see as many as possible at the same time. Suddenly – and surprisingly – she pointed to one that was tiny, probably really far away. "My master told us that that's Splendora," she said quietly, causing all of us to look over to her.

"What's Splendora?" Jasper asked, not having heard it as the name of a star before.

She shrugged, which looked a little strange seeing as she was lying down. "It's supposedly the place where we all originated from – the Faes, I mean; but, it was thousands of years ago, so most of us just think of it as part of our legends."

"You came from a different planet?" Alice asked.

Bella sat up, leaning against me, looking small and tired in the evening light. "Well, _I_ didn't; I first sprouted in Italy. But, the oldest of our kind tell tales of a world with red grass and green skies, and flowers _everywhere_. They said something happened and forced us to leave, and we ended up here, where we could hide out easily and still have everything needed to survive… water, soil, nutrients…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. "Earth was perfect for us, apparently."

"I'm glad," I murmured, just enjoying the moment. She turned in my arms, wiggling her way closer to me, before falling limp into my embrace. Soon after, her skin started shimmering in the oddest way, a rosy hue of light dancing around her body. "What's going on?" I asked worriedly, desperately searching for what was happening.

I relaxed as my sister came to sit beside me, resting her hand on my arm. "Relax, Edward; this is what happened before Bella changed into a human. Maybe she's just changing back."

I sighed, relieved that she was most likely okay, but also a little saddened; my Bella was beautiful and perfect in any form, but in her true form – meaning, when she was rose – I couldn't hold her the way I wanted, the way that – thanks to today's little surprise – I had now grown used to. The shimmering and glowing grew brighter, and in a bright flash of pink light I was once again holding a perfect, healthy looking rose – my Bella in basic form, a true Faerose.

Alice left and was back in seconds, carrying Bella's decorated vase. I smiled at my thoughtful sister, placing my imprint carefully back into her carrier, grabbing it from my sister's hands afterwards. "Thanks, Alice," I said quietly, bringing Bella and her vase carefully into my lap, and returning my gaze to the night sky, wondering if – in her basic form – she, too, was still watching the sky.

The next morning, I jumped up excitedly when I noticed that shimmering glow coming from around Bella, again, and was pleasantly surprised when a rather hyper-looking Bella emerged from said glow, bouncing over to me excitedly. "Edward! Can we go to the meadow today? I miss my ground roots!"

I looked at her, bemused, and not really understanding what she meant by 'ground roots', but gave into her wishes, anyway. "Of course we can visit the meadow, love," I said softly, watching as she froze on the spot. "Bella?"

She looked up at me, her lips trembling as she held back tears. She began laughing lightly as I practically flew to her side. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, still laughing, while unshed tears shone in her eyes. "It's just, even with how much my brothers and my master care for me, I've always been looking for _true love_, and after so long I've never truly believed that I would find my match. And now, here you are, and you're so perfect, and I'm so, so happy that you found me, and… and…" she trailed off, her babbling coming to an end as she wiped the tears that had spilled down off of her porcelain cheeks.

I smiled at her, wiping off the remaining tears. "I'm sorry that it took so long to find you, love; if I'd known _you_ were out there, I'd have been searching for you my entire life."

She smiled, and the tears were all gone. "I know," she said firmly, looking up at me and leaving me breathless with her next words. "I just… I love you _so much_, Edward; you're my perfect match."

If I were human, I would have been choked with the amount of emotion running through my body. "Oh, Bella," I muttered, my body thrumming with the thrill of hearing her speak those words that I had already known to be true (especially since she'd already said them to me, even though it was in her disjointed, rambling way of talking); it was just _so_ much better hearing it come from her lips. "I love you, too," I whispered to her, before pulling her towards me and kissing her tenderly.

I felt her smile against my lips, and she pulled back after a second, trying to look stern, but not really exceeding because of the smile that threatened to take over her face. "You've distracted me, Mister Cullen – I believe you have promised me a trip to the meadow, and I don't see us going there yet." She said, mocking a whine at the end, sounding like a disappointed child.

I stood up straighter, bowing down lowly in front of her and holding out my hand for her to take. "I apologize for the distraction, ma'am; let us proceed to the meadow as swiftly as possible." She laughed, biting her lip and taking my hand, only to leap onto my back as I was standing up.

She pointed out of the window – which I hadn't realized I'd left open all night – and said in a high-pitched, girly voice, "Giddy-up, Edward!"

I laughed brightly as I followed her demand, taking off at full speed to the meadow, her airy voice filling the air with ringing tones of laughter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>There will probably be a little bit of a time jump between the end of this chapter and the next one – nothing too serious, just a week or so. Things will be more settled down… but, I promise the drama will begin soon. After all, I've only got five more chapters before the epilogue.<strong>_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_

_**DAY 1 OF 14 = SUCCESS.**_


	7. July Fireworks

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Seven: July Fireworks**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' Geoffrey Chaucer**_

A week later, Bella stood staring distantly out the window while I was reading a book. Now that I knew most things about her, we didn't feel the need to fill the silence with questions and words… well, I didn't. She, on the other hand, was still as talkative as she'd ever been, not that I minded; I could listen to her voice forever.

She had a fascination with the stars, and – more specifically – her supposed 'home plant', Splendora. She'd go on for hours about the possibility of more of her kind, and then she'd randomly change tangents and begin talking about something else, as she was doing now.

"Besides my brothers and my master, I've only ever gotten close to one other person," she was saying, her voice airy and detached as her eyes moved back and forth across the night sky, searching for something – I didn't know exactly what. "Her name was Abby, and her basic form was a sunflower – a Faesun. They're actually pretty rare because nowadays sunflowers are uncommon to see growing in the wild, as people always transplant them and move them into their gardens. The Faesuns quickly died out because of this, afraid of being permanently removed and separated from their ground roots.

"Anyways, Abby was, I guess you could say, my best friend; I told her everything. We played together, regenerated together… we were inseparable." She sighed, turning away from the window and walking over to me. I had long since cast the book to the side, interested in learning more about her. I held my arms out slightly to invite her to join me on the couch, and wrapped them around her gently when she settled down on my lap.

"Where is Abby, now?" I asked, much like I had when I asked where her master was.

She sighed sadly. "Abby wilted a long time ago, unfortunately; she was vine-broke."

I watched her curiously, and though we were talking about such a sad topic, I couldn't help but ask. "Wilted? Vine-broke?" I turned her more towards me, wanting to see her face.

She sighed again, and it was such a heartbreaking sound that I couldn't help but kiss her head sweetly, wanting to comfort her. "Wilted is simply our turn for dying – yes, we can regenerate," she said, stopping me from interrupting, as I'm guessing she somehow knew I would. "But, in certain cases there is a way for us to simply… fade away. Our ground roots rot away within days, and then we, as fairies, rot away, as well. Just like reguflowers. In Abby's case she was vine-broken – our term for heartbroken. She fell in love with another Faesun named Allen, who was already matched with a girl named Sable. The wilting set in quickly after she saw them together…" Her voice was like a child's again, as it so often was; innocent, pure, but scarred. My beautiful flower had gone through pain in her life, and I couldn't stand the idea of it.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, running my fingers through her soft hair.

She smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Oh, don't be; it's not like you could have done anything to prevent it. You didn't even know I existed then," she said, laughing slightly. "Besides, it happens a lot more than my kind prefer to admit – wilting, I mean. We like to say that we're all powerful," she said bitterly, and I leaned back slightly, worried about her tone of voice. "But the worries of the heart often overtake us and destroy us in the end."

"I don't think the 'worries of the heart' are all that bad," I said, running my nose along her jawline gently, taking in her wonderful scent. "Love is a truly great thing, after all; but, maybe that's just my opinion," I conceded, knowing she was going to contradict that statement.

And she didn't disappoint. "No, love is quite perfect, isn't it?" She asked sweetly, running her tiny, warm hands across my cheeks. I leaned into her touch, feeling like I was sinking into her cinnamon-brown eyes. She was so beautiful that I could happily spend the rest of forever holding her in my arms; I'd even give up hunting to do so.

Suddenly, she smiled up at me gentle, giving me a calculated look, before her body was set in motion and I felt her soft, warm lips press against my cold ones, and it wasn't just my mouth they warmed; something that felt almost like an electric current past through my body, jolting me into motion, as well, and before I could blink my hands were cradling her face to me, pressing closer as I spun us around so that I was hovering over her.

After a few minutes, she pulled away and let out a quiet, airy laugh; it was both musical and infectious, and though I found no humour in the matter (on the contrary, I just wanted it to happen over and over again), I laughed along with her, smiling down at her flushed face. Though she was still giggling, for once she didn't resemble a child to me in anyway; she was a grown up woman, and I smiled as I leaned down and kissed her again, loving the feeling of it.

I was the one who pulled away this time, and there was no laughing. She was staring up at me with wonder, like I was the best thing in her world, and I'm sure I was looking at her in much the same way. There was an undetermined emotion sparkling behind the veil of love in her eyes, but it was gone almost as quick as I has spotted, and since I had an angel smiling up at me I didn't think too much on it, not wanting to spoil the moment.

Her thin, warm arms soon tangled themselves around my neck in a loose hold, and I rolled to the left so that we both were on our sides facing each other, and I laid my hands on her hips carefully, not wanting to hurt her, though I had discovered that she was much less fragile than she appeared.

"I love you, Edward," she murmured finally, pulling herself closer by my neck and cuddling into my chest, sighing happily.

I smiled brightly, kissing the top of her head, nuzzling into her hair. "I love you, too, my Bella," I whispered, and I knew it was completely the truth. As I lay there with her, cradling her to me, I felt her breathing slow, and I shifted my hold on her as the shimmering started up again. I had taken to realize that whenever Bella needed to rest, she'd go back into her basic form, and I was used to it by now.

I carefully placed my rose in her vase, and I almost missed the tiny shudder the flower gave. I didn't miss it, though, and I smiled as I realized that though she was not my little woman-child, this rose was still aware of me and very much alive, which meant that she was very much in love with me, like I was with her.

I trailed my finger along the petals carefully, laughing as it shuddered again, before I sat down, picking up my book again and beginning the wait for her again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well? Sorry that it's been a couple of days since the last update; this chapter was a bit harder than the others were to get out. This one was mostly a filler chapter, actually, so that I could get from point A – learning about Bella – to point B – the drama. Hopefully, it works out alright.<strong>_

_**Anyways, since I haven't seemed to say anything about it on FF yet, I just have to say that I'm currently having issues posting and updating my blog, so don't hold it against me for doing absolutely nothing with it. **_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_

_**Day 6 = SUCCESS.**_


	8. August Rush

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Eight: August Rush**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"Oh!" Bella squealed, launching from her place where she was lying on the ground, her head in my lap, as she stood up and began bouncing up and down excitedly. This reaction to something she had been thinking about was completely out of the blue – we'd been lounging in the meadow in complete but comfortable silence for the past hour, and such an exclamation was shocking.

She stopped momentarily, her eyes sparkling with what I could only name as complete and unadulterated joy – and with this bliss, I feel jealous because I had never been the cause of such a pure emotion from her – and stared off into the trees. I grew worried when she didn't move for a while, even though a bright smile continued to stretch its way across her lips. "Bella?"

She must have heard the mix of confusion and worry in my voice, for she turned to where I was still sitting on the ground immediately throwing her little arms around my neck and burying her face happily into my hair, kissing the top of my head lightly over and over – like being kissed by a butterfly.

"They're coming!" She whisper-yelled – something I believed to be only possible for the female half of the population – and continued to pepper my head with kisses… not that I was complaining.

Still, my brow furrowed in utter confusion, and I knew I needed more information than that. "Who's coming, sweetheart?" I grabbed her hands gently, pulling them slightly reluctantly away from their grasp around my neck, pushing her backwards so that I could look up into her perfect face and perhaps get a read on her thoughts. This was something that I should have known by now was impossible, but I couldn't hold myself back from trying, no matter how futile a matter it truly was.

Her grin, if it was possible, grew as she began bouncing lightly on her toes again. She was so happy, I couldn't help but smile, even through my almost over-whelming curiosity. "My master – my brothers! They're coming, Edward!" She squealed again, moving away from my hold and hugging me again, laughing delightedly. It was such a beautiful sound.

I instantly tensed, though, worried. Her master? Her brothers? They were coming here – to Forks? This would be like a meeting the family thing… and I couldn't help but think that they wouldn't be all that pleased that their daughter slash little sister had matched with a vampire, no matter how much they loved her. She noticed my tension immediately, and like the absolutely perfect mate she was, she understood the cause of it straight away.

She let out another laugh, this time throwing her head back and allowing the bright and breezy sound to echo throughout the meadow, the sound waves bouncing from tree to tree before flying off into the sky. "Silly Edward," she teased, rustling my hair affectionately as she did so. "They're going to love you – if not because you're amazing, then because _I_ love you," she continued, moving her hands to hold my cheeks and look into my eyes sternly.

I smiled at her, finally standing up from my sitting position and gathering her into my arms, deciding to drop that part of the subject and get on to more important things, like… "How do you know they are coming, love?"

She wrinkled her nose up at me, but sighed contentedly as she leaned her head against my chest. "I can feel them," she murmured, and the sound was even more muffled by the fabric of my dress shirt. "It's like, whenever they start getting closer to me, I can sense their presence, and something just… alerts me to it. Judging by the, er, _reading_ I'm getting now, they should be here sometime late tonight." She grinned – I could feel it against my skin, and her breath was warming me through my shirt. "I can't wait for you to meet them."

"And I can't wait to meet them," I said honestly.

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want you to be nervous."

"I'm not really nervous to meet them, Bella," I said, and again, it was the truth. "I'm nervous about what their actions are going to be."

She snorted quietly, adorably. "Like I said, they're going to love you. Who wouldn't?"

I smiled softly, pulling her away from my chest and kissing her carefully. "Thank you, love."

She blinked owlishly up at me for a moment, looking at me in pure wonder and amazement. "I love you, Edward," she said, like it was the answer to everything in the universe. In the universe of Edward Cullen, that's exactly what it was.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, we all stood on the front porch, looking off into the dark woods as we waited for the arrival of our guests. Bella hadn't stopped moving since she had first sensed them, constantly bouncing or wringing her hands, excited that they were coming. I had tried fruitlessly to calm her down, but I don't think anything short of a nuclear explosion of calm waves from Jasper would be able to do so.<p>

As it was, my tiny, fragile-looking mate had glared at my blond brother every time he so much as _attempted_ to calm her down. She was perfectly content being as happy as she was, and I have to say I didn't mind her positive feelings. I wanted her happy, always.

In moments, we could hear the sound of fast approaching footsteps, though every once in a while a pair of them would disappear, only to reappear once; Bella had said this was because they were scouting through the trees, looking for any possible danger. She had also said that they were tracking her through the same sense she had gotten of them, knowing they were getting closer when the reading got stronger. It was a boggling process, but Bella was much too excited to explain it any more than that.

Bella ran from my arms as soon as a rather tall male with long, dirty blonde hair tied back into a ponytail stepped out into the clearing with approximately twenty other men – all of them I knew to be her brothers. She leaped into the embrace of this man, and I knew this must be her master – the man she loved as a father. And the way he held her, so carefully – like she was the most precious thing in the world to him – made me realize that he loved her very much.

Perhaps it was this love for her that made him react the way he did.

Bella, ever the optimist, dropped from his arms and tugged him quickly over to the deck, hauling him up the stairs. It was quite an amusing sight, seeing my tiny Bella pulling a man more than twice her size as he followed after her curiously, but I didn't laugh. Not when I could hear his thoughts – thoughts of the past few years of him hunting down others of my kind, ripping them apart, burning them… simply for being what we are…

"Master, this is Edward – my match!" She chirped happily, pulling him to a stop right in front of me. I kept my eyes on him, his thoughts taking in his surroundings quickly, glaring up at me with obvious hatred.

I knew Bella was wrong; he wouldn't love me, even if _she_ loved me. This man hated me before he had even met me. "Vampire," he hissed quietly, leaning down in a crouch and shoving Bella roughly behind him. I growled at this, meeting him in his crouch, worried for my mate.

This was definitely not how I pictured this meeting going.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well? How was that. I apologize now to all of the people who were rather happy to see James portrayed as a 'good' character. This was my intention all along, though; there is more to Bella's precious 'master' and her brothers than she is ever going to know…<strong>_

_**Outtake anyone? Perhaps even an entire story to document James' life away from Bella? Intriguing idea…**_

_**Also, sorry if the ending is a little disjointed and choppy.**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_

_**Day 11 = SUCCESS.**_

'_**If you keep projecting your past onto your future, you will live the same day over and over again.' - Unknown**_


	9. September Sights

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Nine: September Sights**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"Master!" Bella shouted, shocked, before jumping in between us and blocking him from attacking me, or vice versa. "Stop it, now!"

He stood up slowly, eying me, and only once he was fully upright again did I straighten up, as well. His eyes quickly darted to Bella, though, when my tiny mate stormed up to him; looking into his mind, I could see that the expression on her face was one of complete fury. I was insanely happy that it wasn't directed at me.

"What is the meaning of this?" She hissed quietly, and I'm sure my eyes widened with shock; I'd never heard her anything but happy before, so this was quite the contrast. His mind was now unfocused again, going over the same murderous scenes I had taken notice of before; however, he didn't seem like he was going to answer her, which made me angry. After a few moments of tense silence, I spoke.

"Are you going to answer her?" I asked him coldly, glaring at him while I raised one eyebrow, trying to tell him through my eyes that I wouldn't put up with him shrugging off my mate the way he was intending.

He glared back at me, and his mind now came up with visions of killing me, but he did answer her. "He's a vampire, my dear; I think that alone answers any questions you have about my response to him," he said roughly, before glaring at her. I growled in warning, but he didn't listen. "Why the _hell_ are you consorting with vampires, Isabella?"

My love, ever the optimist, merely looked up at him pleadingly. "I love him, master; he's my match." These words were paired with a slight shrug of her dainty shoulders, as if she thought her words would pardon any wrongs he could find in this situation. "Besides, why would you speak so cruelly about vampires? They never bothered you before."

_That was before they killed my match, _I heard whisper through his mind, and for a moment I felt a great pity for this man; I could not imagine losing my Bella, and I reasoned that I would have condemned the entire species responsible for taking her away from me with my hatred, just as he had. His next words squashed any pity I felt for him, though. "I have my reasons – and I certainly won't allow you to continue with these delusions of having a bloodsucker for a match!"

Bella jumped slightly as his voice rose, and I moved forward quickly and drew her into my embrace, hoping to soothe any fear she felt in the presence of the man she'd spoken of in such high regard. I desperately wanted to hear her thoughts in that moment, wondering what she was thinking of. "You know I have no choice of who my match is, master…" she trailed off, looking at him sadly. "I love him."

I swear in that moment that my frozen heart gave a triumphant little beat. However, this James character seemed quite content to ruin any happiness we had. "Damien," he said calmly, and in a moment of shock my arms fell down more, and I realized that my beloved girl was no longer in my arms. I looked up frantically, and my family let out quiet gasps as we all laid eyes upon her. She was in the arms of a much larger man – one of her brothers, I assumed – who was yards away from us.

_How did he take her?_ I wondered idly, in shock, before snarling in rage. "Give me my mate," I managed to spit out, stalking forward, determined to have her in my arms again. _How dare he take her?_

The male bared his teeth, and even though some part of my mind was reminding me that this man could turn in a _rose_, I still felt slightly cautious about it. But, dammit, _he had my mate._ I leaped towards him, and I could sense Jasper and Emmett close behind me, as well; they seemed just as determined as I was to see Bella back safe and sound in my arms, where she belonged.

I could hear James laughing, but it cut off as I easily scooped up Bella from this _Damien's_ arms. His mind was in turmoil, as were all of the others. I wondered briefly why nobody put up a fight, but stopped when I saw Bella glaring harshly at her master and all of them.

"I don't appreciate being handled like a child, master," she said coldly, and even my family's minds were in a state of shock. I was angry again, suddenly; how dare this man take away my bright-eyed girl? Now, she was furious, and positive emotions were a far cry from the expression on her face. I held her carefully in my arms, but she didn't seem as fragile now – not with her eyes battling a raging storm.

He was still shocked, and I had to look into his thoughts to see why. _She shielded him…_ "Your powers have grown?" He asked quietly, looking at me with new eyes. _Is he truly her match? Powers only expand when…_

"I think you know why they have, master," Bella said, slipping from my hold and moving in front of me, taking my hand. I wanted a bit more contact between us, but I didn't do anything, instead keeping my eyes on James. His mind was no longer easy to follow; he was darting through different thoughts much too quickly, and this irritated me, but also made me insanely wary. I looked into Alice's mind, and saw that her visions were much the same – too short to examine, and changing much too fast.

James was a silent for a moment longer, before turning to her brothers and telling them to leave. We watched carefully, looking for any signs of dishonesty, but with his mind changing we couldn't find any. "We're going now, Bella," he said, and she didn't have time to say anything before he took off.

My family and brothers relaxed slightly, but Alice remained tense, as did Bella and I; Alice because she couldn't see anything concrete in her visions, me because Bella was tense, and Bella because…

"He's going to come back," she murmured, watching the forest with dark, careful eyes. "And when he does, I don't think I'll be able to stop him again."

I drew her back into my arms, wondering just how much damage her master could do, before my mind was filled with the sound and sight of vampires screaming in pain; the memories of a man named James.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I hope the ending wasn't too stupid – I was really just trying to end it. More drama to come, I promise; as Bella said, 'He's going to come back'. But, what kind of trouble will James' return bring?<strong>_

_**Review, please, and remember me! **_

_**Day 12 = SUCCESS!**_


	10. October Rain

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Ten: October Rain**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

It was so odd to see my imprint be tense for so long. She refused to re-enter the house after all hints of her master and her brothers having been in the yard were gone, determined to remain standing at the edge of the lawn and stare into the forest. Her warm, dark eyes seemed almost transfixed on a certain spot, but every once in a while they would clear up and she would shift them, only to repeat the process.

I sighed as I watched it happen again, walking up behind her and wrapping my arms around her, knowing that she wasn't going to listen to what I said, but trying, anyways. "Bella, please come inside; you need some rest, love."

She looked up at me over her shoulder, and a shock came over me as I realized that my rose had been crying. She shook her head, though, and turned back. "No, Edward; you know why I'm out here."

I ignored her, focused on something else. I turned her in my arms, much to her protest, and cradled her face in my hands, looking into the eyes I loved so much. It hurt me to see the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Why are you crying, sweetheart?" I asked softly, brushing away the offending moisture with my thumbs, my gaze not straying from her eyes.

She sighed deeply – and it was a sad sound, something that only hurt me more; I didn't want my rose sad. "I'm so scared, Edward," she finally admitted, and though I was glad she was opening up to me about this situation, it only made me pull her against my chest to comfort her.

"Hush, Bella; I won't allow anything to harm you, my rose," I said gently, stroking her back lightly, feeling her muscles relax slightly as I did. What I wasn't expecting, though, was the brilliant laugh that escaped her lips.

"Sill Edward," she teased, and it was such a contrast to the still beauty that had been outside all evening that I let out a breath of relief. "It's not me I'm worried about – master wasn't trying to kill _me_." She rolled her eyes, bringing one tiny hand up and laying it gently on one of my cheeks, which caused me to automatically adjust myself to lean into it. She smiled rather shyly. "I'm worried about you," she said quietly, looking at me as if I was the singular most precious thing in her universe.

Looking at me the way I looked at her.

I took in a shuttering breath, seeing those emotions, but I still managed to tilt my head to kiss her palm, taking her hand in mine. "I'll be fine, beauty," I murmured into her skin, unable to help myself as I leaned down to press a careful kiss against her slightly parted lips. "My family and I will be fine," I stated firmly, knowing that she would have brought them up next.

"You don't know him; you don't know how ruthless he can be."

"We'll be _fine_, Bella," I said again, not leaving any room for argument. "Now, come inside; it's freezing out here, and you need your rest." Before she could protest, I had her in my arms and halfway up the stairs to my bedroom. She gave up, thankfully, laughing delightedly as I flopped her unceremoniously onto the couch. She yawned innocently, and I watched happily as she finally gave into her fatigue.

I placed my rose carefully in her vase, whispering my love to her before marching downstairs into the living room, where the rest of my family was seated. I looked towards my blond brother, who was standing at the back window and examining the forest, much like Bella had been doing earlier.

"Well, Jasper?" I asked, and instantly he turned around and began going over different strategies that would end in us being the winner, if this turned into a fight.

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><p>It was dawn when I heard Bella fluttering around upstairs, and I was beside her in an instant when I realized this meant she had already completed the change that turned her from my beautiful flower to my bright, little woman-child. I hugged her tightly, having missed her warmth during the night, and an airy giggle left her throat.<p>

"Morning, Edward!" She chirped, untangling herself quickly and running down the stairs to where Esme always had her meal. I chuckled and followed her, having grown used to her sneaky ways. How I ended up imprinting on someone so like my pesky pixie-like sister, I'll never know.

I wasn't surprised when I found her settled on the counter beside my mother figure once again; this had quickly become a daily habit, and occurred every time Esme was preparing her a meal. I don't think Bella realized how much she appreciated it – having someone so bright and cheerful spend time with her, not to mention having someone she truly had to take care of. Yes, the others and I were her children, but we were also vampires who didn't need anything motherly, and so she felt blissful at having someone to cook food for… even if it was – the majority of the time, anyway – only cutting up fruits or vegetables. Today, it was watermelon.

My little mate was once again happy, having seemingly forgotten what had occurred the night before, and I couldn't be happier about it. I didn't want her dwelling on it. It wouldn't be good for her. She chattered on and on, and just as she was reaching towards one of the little slices of cut up fruit, she froze and gasped. The other members of the family were instantly in the room, even Carlisle – who, because of the recent events, had taken a long leave from work in order to be here should anything arise. I stepped forward and grabbed Bella's hand, putting a finger under her chin delicately and turning her face up to look at me. Her eyes were blank, and she had tensed, and somehow, I just knew.

Bella could sense her master coming closer; he was coming back, just as she'd said. I looked up to my brother's eyes, and I knew he realized what was happening, as well. He started reminding everybody of their duties that we had decided upon with the strategy, while I gathered Bella into my arms, vowing to keep her safe.

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><p><em><strong>Well, that was an anti-climatic cliffhanger, wasn't it? Basically all the rest of the drama comes up in the next chapter, and to be honest I'm mostly glazing over the drama in the story – you'll only really get to know how everything turned out in the end. Sorry. Only one more 'real' chapter, and then the epilogue. You excited for the happy ever after?<strong>_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_


	11. November Chance

**The Rose in May**

**Chapter Eleven: November Chance**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

To our surprise, when James re-entered the yard, it wasn't with Bella's brothers trailing behind him. Instead – as even more of a shock – two vampires, a red-haired female and a dark-skinned male, sauntered in behind him, looking much too smug for my tastes. They also looked like they were ready to hunt, which set us all on edge.

Bella's eyes were comically wide as she took in the new comers. Her breathing had increased in pace, and her heartbeat was rising drastically. I pulled her into my arms and sent a look to my brother, which he understood. Being so close to my mate, I felt the effects of the wave of calm he had sent her, so I relaxed a bit, as well. To my relief, though, the emotion settled heavily on my mate, and she practically sagged into my embrace. I held her up gladly; I didn't like it when she was stressed.

I searched the minds of the trio, and gathered that the two vampires were named Victoria and Laurent. Victoria seemed interested in James, and he knew how to play it up, keeping her close but not too close, stringing her along. It was sickening, but even though she had not imprinted on him, she fell right into his game, not knowing that he was just using her for her talent and her abilities. I almost felt like bringing this information into the light, but James spoke first.

"I think you've had enough time to examine my friends now," he spoke roughly, glaring at me as I automatically tightened my hold on his 'daughter'. "I'll repeat it again, Bella, so that you can make your choice. I won't have you matching with a vampire," he hissed out, staring into Bella's eyes. I growled warningly at him, but he just smirked. His thoughts were sure that Bella would choose him – her true family – over me.

And, though I knew how she felt about me, for a moment I was scared; this was the master she had spoken so highly about, and with him came the brothers that she loved. How could I ever live up to the hype all of that put together? I was only one person compared to the enormity of her family.

I shouldn't have doubted for a moment though. A glistening tear streamed down my love's face, but she spoke calmly and surely, leaving no room for anyone to argue. "You once told me that once you meet your match, you'd give up everything to be with them. That is what I am choosing to do, master; I'll _always_ choose Edward." Her tiny voice reached my ears quickly, transforming me in a way that not even the imprint had, because now I could truly understand the strength of the matching, just as I understood the strength of the imprint. They were much alike, these two things.

Her master didn't take these words as gladly as I had, though; instead, he let out a growling sound I hadn't deemed possible for a fairy to make before, and motioned with his fingers to his two 'friends'. I could only assume that they had planned their attack before coming here, as they moved in perfectly orchestrated movements, James launching at Emmett – who, in his mind, he saw as the greatest threat – Victoria launching towards Alice, Rosalie, and Esme all at once (the 'weak' ones, being the females), and Laurent moving towards Carlisle, the leader. At the moment they were leaving Bella, Jasper and I alone, which was perhaps their downfall, because none of them had noticed the scars that decorated my brother's skin, marking him as their true threat.

Like the predator he was, Jasper moved in for the kill quickly, reminding me in his thoughts that my only job during this was to protect my rose; like he had to remind me. I had already scooped Bella up into my arms, and heartbreakingly enough, she was actually crying quietly in my arms, refusing to watch. Not that I wanted her to watch; this would be hard for anybody.

I brushed my fingers through her hair soothingly, humming quietly in her ear as my dark eyes angrily took in the sight before me. Of course, my family had been quite prepared for the attack, and nothing had happened. James noticed Jasper quickly, but instead of moving from one of my brothers to the other, he instead focused on Alice, whom his quick eyes had already addressed as Jasper's mate.

I was watching Esme and Carlisle block Victoria from joining James when a piercing cry and a hissing sound issued from the left of them. I knew it was my sister instantly, and Bella and I snapped our heads to the scene. What I saw there surprised me, and a sinking feeling came in my stomach.

Bella's master held a sharp double-edged sword in his hand, and one edge of it had been jammed into Alice's shoulder blade; it wasn't in very deep, but it still looked painful. Before anybody had the chance to do anything, Bella was whispering in my ear, fury dripping from her words. "Burn his seed," was all she said before she launched out of my embrace and stormed towards her master. I was going to follow her, instantly worried about her, but Carlisle called me over to Alice to help him check the wound.

As was the case with most of our injuries, it healed quite quickly, but the fact that the fairies were capable of creating weapons that could harm us terrified us, and even without looking into Jasper's mind and testing the emotions of my family, I could tell we were all more wary of this species.

I looked up as I heard a strange, high-pitched growling sound, my gaze landing straight towards my mate; she was making that noise, stalking towards her master with lithe, calculating footsteps. She had already managed to disarm him, it seemed, as his dangerous sword lay on the ground some ways away from them. I vaguely registered Rosalie sprinting to grab it before he could get it back, and the relief it brought, but I couldn't turn away from the scene in front of me.

Bella began speaking in a language I couldn't interpret, and much to my frustration it caused James' mind to switch into this language, as well. Seeing as the minds of Victoria and Laurent – who were being attacked by an angry Emmett and absolutely furious Jasper – were slightly confused as they heard it as well, I figured it must be a language that only fairies knew. This idea was further cemented when their minds quickly remembered a time when James was talking to one of Bella's many brothers. They moved far too fast for even my eyes to catch, but I did get to see the outcome. My tiny, fragile-looking imprint had leaped onto him, and they were fighting. I think I had a heart attack as I watched.

It didn't take me more than a few seconds to smell the blood; it was an intense floral scent, mixed with strawberries and innocence. It was scent I could only match with Bella, and I saw red when I realized it meant he had drawn blood. I growled, getting up from my place beside my pixie-like sister – who was still lying on the ground, a little winded from her injury – and stormed my way over there. Bella looked to be fine, but I could see the blood streaming down her face from where he had managed to hit her.

I jumped onto my mate's attacker, knowing with everything I had in me that after this, I would never let anybody hurt her ever again. She was my mate and I would protect her.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, so, don't kill me; this is the last actual chapter, and you'll find out the outcome of the fight in the epilogue, which will be posted tomorrow. I mentioned in yesterday's author note that I'm pretty much skimming over the drama, and hopefully you don't mind. I couldn't figure out a way to draw it out. Okay, they fought, things happen, people get hurt… how could I possibly stretch it out anymore? As I said, the outcome is in the epilogue, which will be posted tomorrow.<strong>_

_**Anyways, right now I'm really thinking you guys should go to YouTube and listen to the song James Bond by Scouting for Girls, because it's a whirlwind of awesomeness. I'm not even kidding.**_

_**Review, please, and remember me.**_

'_**Think of the haters in your life as sandpaper; they'll scratch you up time and time again but in the end you're polished and spotless while they end up useless.' – Unknown**_

_**Day 14 = SUCCESS! (I have officially completed my deal, doves. :P)**_


	12. December Peace

**The Rose in May**

**Epilogue: December Peace**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

"You can't catch me!" My mate teased, running off into the forest ahead of me.

I smiled, darting off after her. "I bet I can!"

I was right; within moments I had her cornered, and I leaped on her and brought her into my arms, twisting so that I landed on the ground on my back with her on top of me, curled into my chest. She was giggling, so I knew she wasn't hurt in anyway, and I proceeded to keep that beautiful sound from rising from her mouth by tickling her.

She didn't like that idea as much as my chasing her, it seemed. "Ed-ward!" She laughed, breathless. "S-stop!" I laughed with her, taking my hands away from her ribs and curling them around her, pulling her into my lap as I sat up, looking around us.

We'd ran all the way to the meadow, and at my love's bright smile, I knew that had been her intention. We hadn't been here since 'the incident', and I hadn't honestly ever been planning to come back, wanting to keep her safe from the dangers of the outside world. But, already being back here, I realized that I had missed being in our private place – here, there were no worries and no problems, and it was just me, Bella, and the serenity of the forest. It was great to be back.

Bella ended up having to regenerate after her master, James, had injured her. I'd managed to kill James, following Bella's instructions and burning his seed afterwards as he tried to regenerate. I'd been very sadistic as I did so, practically laughing with joy as I watched the tiny seed burning in the fire. The vampires that had been a part of his group – Victoria and Laurent – were destroyed in much the same way, except their vampiric bodies had been burned and not a seed, and when Bella had shifted again for the first time after her regeneration, she had approved of the choice, although she was sad that her master had been so cruel towards her and her choices.

She had promptly sent a message out to the main royals of her species, the Faeaps – she said that they were the only four fairies in history that could turn into apple trees – that explained to them that she had met her match and that she had no intention of reproducing any seedlings anytime soon. She was promoted to a third generation – which, she'd explained, basically meant that she was powerful enough to be a root-guard, but not enough to produce seeds; she also said that she'd never be promoted, not after finding her match, anyway. The Faeaps had basically just wished her the best after that, and had apologized for the trouble that James had caused her, and said that they felt for the terrible loss of her master. She hadn't replied, but had looked rather sad as she read it. They also let her know that her brothers had returned to their ancestral home, most likely after James had ditched them to find the two vampires. Nobody quite knew the entire story behind their camaraderie.

Even after her regeneration, it had taken awhile for Bella to feel fully comfortable with walking and running again – something she'd so loved to do. Her arms and legs had been, she said, 'like jelly', and she'd fallen over a lot – well, almost fallen over; I always caught her, of course.

Soon, though, she'd returned to the bright-eyed flower child I loved with everything I had. And being back at the meadow – at the place where it had all began – I remembered how odd those first few days had been; those days that felt like years ago now, but were really only three months ago. Yes, they'd been odd, though; my family had thought I'd gone insane, and I'd half-agreed. But it had turned out perfect in the end, no matter how strange of an imprint it was. I would never love another as much as I love my Bella, and that was nature's intent. In her words, she's my perfect match in every way.

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><p><em><strong>Short, sweet, and to the point. Interesting fact; I had this epilogue written before I'd even begun to type up the fifth chapter. Much like with <strong>_**Before the Imprint: Old Foxes**_**, I planned ahead a lot. ;) Hopefully when I type up the missing seven chapters in between the fourth and this one, they match up in the end, and everything ties up better. This will be a little weird to read when the stories finished, won't it?**_

_**(By the way, sorry if you were expecting an epilogue that was more than seven hundred words long in actual story length – you didn't really get that, did you? Also, I'd like to apologize once again too all of those that were looking for a bit more drama.)**_

_**So, in all honesty, what did you think of this story? Was it a hit or a miss, in other words? I'm still thinking about writing a **_**Before the Imprint**_** story for it, and all you need to do is tell me if you'd be interested in a prequel from Bella's point of view, because we **_**all**_** basically know Edward's story, especially since it's the same as Stephenie's story for him. Also, I'm thinking of writing another story, but from James' point of view; I'm sure you're all as interested as I am to find out what was going on behind the scenes from when he left Bella and he found her again.**_

_**Also, the next post on this story will be a little dictionary type thing, which will have little definitions for any words that were in this story which are strictly fairy terms. Bella isn't very good at explaining things when she rambles. ;) **_

_**Thanks a lot to everybody who reviewed and followed this story – I really appreciate it!**_

_**Another story done: over and out.**_

_**Review, please, and remember me. **_

'_**If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.' – Orson Welles**_


	13. O1  Dictionary of FairyRelated Terms

_**So, this isn't necessarily an outtake in the sense that it isn't a scene that couldn't fit in with the story. Since I came up with the specific idea of these shapeshifting flowers, which I simply dubbed 'fairies', I decided to write a dictionary of any terms mentioned which are related to this species to help you better understand the things mentioned in this fic. There will also be a couple definitions **_**not**_** mentioned in the fic, which I simply wish to share with you. It won't be in any particular order, so don't expect it to be alphabetized or anything; just take it as it is. Also, I will probably be updating this little list a couple of times, so keep an eye out for new definitions!**_

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><p><strong>The Rose in May<strong>

**Dictionary of Fairy-Related Terms**

'_**And she is as fair as the rose in May.' – Geoffrey Chaucer**_

**Seedling – **_The term 'seedling' refers to the state of a fairy; fairies are generally considered seedlings when the fairy is just a child and learning. Seedlings are not considered a 'generation', but once they have grown and understand certain things, they are moved to first generation and are no longer considered seedlings. (A common slang term for seedling is rootling.)_

**Plantlet - **_This is a simple term for a young fairy._

**Reguflower – **_This is a slang term for 'regular flower', meaning a flower that isn't a fairy and is therefore incapable of magicks and the shift. The term is often changed depending on what type of reguflower is being considered, for example regular roses become 'reguroses'._

**Basic/birth/regeneration form – **_This term is used as a generalization to name a fairies true form, meaning the flower/plant they were 'planted' as. For example, in this story, Bella's 'basic form' is a red rose._

**Planted – **_This is the slang term for a fairy birth; you are not born, you are 'planted'._

**Faerose – **_This term refers to fairies whose basic form is a rose, as is the case with Bella, her brothers, and her master in this story._

**Master – **_This term is used to name a fairies 'father' or 'mother', in the sense that they are the one who planted and raised the fairy. In the fairy-world, masters are in charge of their 'children' until said 'children' have found their matches._

**Regeneration** **– **_When a fairy is injured harshly enough, they are forced into a shift back into a seed, which then needs to be replanted – this having the fairies be 'reborn' into their newly healed bodies. If your intent was to kill the fairy, the only way of halting the regeneration is by burning the seed instead of planting it. _

**Faelup – **_This term refers to fairies whose basic form is a tulip._

**Faesun – **_This term refers to fairies whose basic form is a sunflower._

**Faeap – **_This term refers to fairies whose basic form is an apple tree._

**Rootguard – **_This term refers to one of the many professions in the fairy world. When a fairy is planted, the spot in which they are planted will have their roots (sometimes referred to as 'ground roots') until they regenerate and are planted again. Their roots are very special to them. A rootguard is a guardian of the roots of fairies who are higher up; typically only third generation fairies are rootguards._

**First generation – **_This is the rank of fairies directly after they have 'graduated' from a seedling into a learned and capable fairy. The first generation can only do the standard fairy magicks, such as shifting, regeneration, and sometimes an added talent or two. For example, Bella's brother Damien is capable or calling anything or anyone to him by will._

**Second generation – **_This is the second rank of fairies; they can do everything the same as the first generations, except the royals of the fairy-world also allow them to keep in contact with them. The royals do not appreciate being contacted by first generations. In the beginning on the story until the epilogue, Bella is a second generation fairy._

**Third generation – **_This is the third rank of fairies; they can do everything the same as the second generation, except now they are open to many of the professions throughout the fairy-world. For example, they can be rootguards. In the epilogue, Bella contacts the royals and tells them of meeting her match, and she is promoted from second to third generation._

**Fourth generation – **_This is the fourth rank of fairies; they can do everything the same as a third generation, except now they have the ability to produce seeds, and therefore can raise seedlings. About a century and a quarter before the events of the story, James was promoted from third to fourth generation and then planted Bella and her brothers; he also planted her sisters, but they were much closer to a bank then others and their roots were all swept away by rushing water. If a fourth generation finds their match, they are demoted to third generation, as matched couples do not wish to have the ability to reproduce. Having the ability to reproduce is such an appreciated thing that fourth generations are generally considered in the same respect as the royals._

**Fifth generation – **_This is the fifth and highest rank of fairies; the royals are always fifth generations. In the current state of the fairy-world, there are only four royals, and therefore only four fifth generations. They are able to do everything the fourth generation can, except generally they do not reproduce – though they have the ability to - and they are also able to create and change laws and basic rules for the fairy-world. In special cases where a potential royal does not want to reproduce, they go straight from third generation to fifth generation._

**Splendora – **_In the legends of the fairy-world, it states that the fairies came from a different planet far off in the universe named 'Splendora', which is a planet with 'red grass and green skies, and flowers _everywhere_'. The legend goes that something terrible happened and the fairies were forced to leave and search for a new home, which they found in Earth_.

**Wilting – **_This term refers to a fairy dying in a rather natural way. If a fairy gets a disease, or is simple to sad or upset to take care of themselves and won't allow anybody else to do so, either, they begin wilting. The end of the wilting process is always death. See the following definition for an example._

**Vine-broken – **_This term is the fairy term for 'heartbroken'. It's currently the leading cause of wilting. Bella's friend, Abby the Faesun, was vine-broken, and began the process of wilting soon after._

**Faetrunner – **_This is a classic fairy weapon; it is a simple, double-edged sword. Used in almost every battle, 'Faetrunners' are rumoured to be able to cut through anything. In the eleventh chapter of the story, this is the weapon James uses on Alice._

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><p><em><strong>Well, that's all the definitions for now – hope these will help you understand some things better! As I said above, I'll be updating it every once in a while when I think of something else to add. If there is a definition you would like to see here, just write it in a review or send me a message and I'll get on it.<strong>_

_**Remember me.**_


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